In recent years, Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) networks have been increasingly deployed in urban areas, office buildings, and college campuses, as well as public venues such as airports, stadiums, and coffee shops. In response to such increased WiFi network deployment, broadband service providers have sought to provide their mobile subscribers with the capability of accessing WiFi networks in a manner that is easy, quick, and seamless. Such mobile subscribers can typically obtain access to a WiFi network using a WiFi-enabled device (e.g., a WiFi-enabled smartphone, tablet computer, or laptop computer) that is within a communication range of a wireless access point coupled to the WiFi network. Such a wireless access point can be configured as either a “standalone” wireless access point, or a so-called “lightweight” wireless access point that must discover and register with an external WiFi controller in order to operate. For example, each standalone wireless access point, as well as each lightweight wireless access point in combination with a WiFi controller, may be configured to support Hotspot 2.0, which is a technology based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11u, 802.11i, and 802.1x standards and generally known as WiFi-certified Passpoint™.
In a typical scenario, a lightweight wireless access point can perform a process of discovering and registering with a WiFi controller over a network, as follows. Upon booting-up, the wireless access point can obtain an Internet protocol (IP) address by broadcasting a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) discover message over the network for receipt by a DHCP server. Having received the DHCP discover message, the DHCP server can send, over the network to the wireless access point, a DHCP offer message that contains an IP address for the wireless access point, as well as an IP address for a domain name system (DNS) server on the network. Such a DHCP offer message can further contain vendor specific information in an option field (e.g., the option field corresponding to DHCP option 43), which can include the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of a WiFi controller. Having received the DHCP offer message from the DHCP server, the wireless access point can attempt to resolve the FQDN of the WiFi controller by sending a DNS query message over the network to the IP address of the DNS server. In response to the DNS query message from the wireless access point, the DNS server can send, over the network to the IP address of the wireless access point, a DNS response message that contains a list of one or more IP addresses for one or more candidate WiFi controllers.
From among the list of IP addresses for candidate WiFi controllers, the lightweight wireless access point can select a suitable WiFi controller, and register with the selected WiFi controller by sending a join request message over the network to the IP address of the selected WiFi controller. Such a join request message can contain a certificate (e.g., an X.509 certificate) for the wireless access point. Upon receipt of the join request message, the selected WiFi controller can validate the wireless access point's certificate contained in the join request message. Once the wireless access point's certificate is validated, the WiFi controller can send a join response message over the network to the IP address of the wireless access point, in which the join response message can contain a certificate (e.g., an X.509 certificate) for the WiFi controller. Upon receipt of the join response message, the wireless access point can likewise validate the WiFi controller's certificate contained in the join response message, thereby completing the wireless access point's discovery and registration process with the selected WiFi controller. Using the selected WiFi controller, the wireless access point can then provide WiFi network access services to WiFi-enabled device(s) that come within its communication range within the WiFi network.
The typical scenario of discovering and registering with a WiFi controller by a wireless access point described herein has drawbacks, however, in that it is often required to register such a wireless access point with a WiFi controller that is a member of a specific group of WiFi controllers. For example, the members of such a group of WiFi controllers may belong to a particular broadband service provider, and/or may be configured to serve a target market of mobile subscribers located within a particular geographical area. However, conventional approaches to discovering and registering with WiFi controllers by wireless access points may be incapable of automatically providing location awareness in the WiFi controller discovery and registration process. In some cases, such conventional approaches may require a wireless access point to be initially registered with a centralized WiFi controller, and then manually moved to a WiFi controller within a group that serves the target mobile subscriber market.
It would therefore be desirable to have systems and methods of discovering and registering with a WiFi controller by a wireless access point that can overcome at least some of the drawbacks of existing WiFi controller discovery and registration systems and methods.